2015.09.30 HGFC vs CYL Match Preview

Weather permitting, Hougang United and the Young Lions will square off at Hougang Stadium on Wednesday, the 30th of September. The season’s final meeting between the two sides had already been pushed back from its original schedule on the 13th of September due to the country’s general election. Now the ongoing haze affecting the nation threatens to derail the rescheduled fixture.

The Cheetahs have already seen their previous match postponed due to the haze. The guidelines, as set by the Football Association of Singapore, is that a match will be called off if the National Environment Agency’s Pollution Standard Index average for a three hours period is above 300 at 5:00 pm, above 200 between 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, or above 150 at 9:00 pm. No match can last finished later than 11:30 pm.

Both Hougang United and the Young Lions will be heading into their match on the back of defeats – a narrow 0:1 loss to Home United for the former and a 1:3 loss to Tampines Rovers for the latter. The previous time the Young Lions lost by a 1:3 scoreline, it was at the hands of Hougang United back in July. Following that defeat though, the development bounced back with an impressive 0:2 away win over title contenders Warriors. Coincidentally, the last time Hougang United played at Hougang Stadium back in early August was their 4:1 upset victory over Warriors.

Jordan Webb will be making his return to the Young Lions after sitting out their previous two games through suspension. In his absence, Shameer Aziq has stepped up to the plate and scored two goals in as many matches – the first time a Young Lion has scored in consecutive games this season. The goals weren’t enough to overturn defeats though and Jordan’s return could prove instrumental in turning their results around. He has attempted and completed more challenges, dribbles, key passes and crosses per game than any of his teammates. He has also provided the team’s highest number of assists with 4 and is their joint top scorer – alongside Adam Swandi and Amy Recha – with 3 goals.

Adam will not feature against Hougang United – nor, indeed, in any other match this season as he has been enlisted for national service. With his side’s second best figures in challenges, dribles, key passes, crosses and tackles per game, he would undoubtedly be missed by the Young Lions.

The Cheetahs will also be missing a key figure in the form of Fairoz Hasan. The midfielder had sustained a partial ligament tear on his left knee during the game against Home United. Alongside Nurhilmi Jasni, Fairoz has been one of only two players to have appeared in every competitive game this year for Hougang United and his absence will be significantly felt. Nonetheless, the team will aim to remain undefeated against the Young Lions this season. The last time they had achieved this feat was back in 2010. With both teams currently level on points after playing the same number of matches, a win would be vital to give either side a 3 points cushion over the other as they vie to move up the table.